


Fall Apart, Fall Together

by WaywardGravity



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-03 23:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2892560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaywardGravity/pseuds/WaywardGravity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Masaomi Kida and Kumiko Yuki only rely on each other - her, for comfort; him, distraction. At least, they like to think it's just for those reasons.<br/>Kumiko has a secret that could ruin whatever could form between them, though. Will Masaomi trust her if he ever finds out or if she ever reveals it to him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fall Apart, Fall Together

Maybe it was the sound of rain that woke her that night. Or maybe it was the sound of a quarrel in the streets. She was doubtful of the latter, since it was a noise that she was quite used to, especially if Shizuo was out chasing Izaya again (or it could be something worse, something she didn't want to think about.) Whatever it was, she was almost thankful for it, since it forced her out of her nightmares - something that she had yet become capable of doing. Pushing the thought aside, she curled back under the blanket, the dark-haired girl looking to her blond companion  
  
He was still asleep, not that she was sure anything could wake him out of his slumber, anyways. Regardless, she was grateful she hadn't woken Masaomi from his sleep and found herself curling up against him, her fingers curling into his shirt. The day had been long and bothersome, but she hardly minded when it meant she could relax like this with Masaomi so close to her - if relaxing is what one could call it, considering the tension she still felt from her nightmare and the noise outside. At least she knew she was safe (or she hoped,) though, that her nightmares weren't real. They were just intensified fears wandering into her dreams; no need to let them affect her too much.  
  
She only vaguely registered the tightening of Masaomi's arm around her before she heard his mumbled voice question, "You're awake?"  
  
It seemed she had been mistaken when she thought she hadn't woken him. The realization made her feel a little guilty, but she tried to force it away. Instead, she shifted to bury her face in the fabric of his shirt. "Mhmm," she managed, unsure of if her verification was heard or if she had even gotten the affirmation out in the first place. A few moments of silence passed before she looked up to see golden brown eyes looking down at her. Despite the drowsiness she registered within their depths, she could see the concern there, too.  
  
"Is something wrong?" He sounded more awake now, more aware. She wasn't so sure that was a good thing. What if he couldn't manage to go back to sleep? (And it was all her fault.)  
  
Letting out a sigh, she shifted closer to him, wanting for nothing more than to enjoy the warmth he provided. "No, just noises outside." That  _was_  what had woken her up, after all. To add her nightmares into the mix unnecessarily wouldn't be very smart of her.  
  
"Should I go check it out?" Drawing her closer, he shifted to where he was lying on his side, fully facing her. His hand lifted and he lightly ran his fingers through her hair. In honesty, he probably would have done more than that, but he knew where the line was drawn for them and he had no intentions of crossing it (not just for her sake, but for his own as well.) When he got no response from her, he furrowed his brows slightly. "Kumiko, do you want me to go see if anything's going on?"  
  
The sound of her name prompted her to bury her face against him and she shook her head. She ignored the way his shirt shifted with the movement, but relished in the way the fabric felt overall (soft and warm from his body heat.) "No, it's fine. It's probably just Shizuo chasing Izaya again or something."  
  
Masaomi snorted at the sound of the information broker's name and she didn't have to look at him to know he was scowling. "Hopefully he kills the bastard this time." Kumiko almost laughed at that (because she was certain everybody would agree with Masaomi,) but she held it back. She offered a grin in consolation, though, and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, hopefully." Her quiet agreement seemed to make him less worried and he shifted to bury his face into her hair. The feeling of his breath hitting her head made her relax, which he was thankful to notice.  
  
His arms wrapped tightly around her and he offered a nod. Instead of continuing the subject, he closed his eyes (both because he was exhausted and because he was hoping it might be a bit of an encouragement for her to follow his lead.) "Go back to sleep."  
  
Only moments later, she noticed how his breathing slowed, how the breaths that hit her head came out in a slower pace. Slightly comforted by the short conversation, the dark haired girl drifted off soon after him.  
  
\---------  
  
Masaomi awoke without Kumiko next to him, which wasn't entirely a surprise. There wasn't much between the two - just Kumiko wanting the comfort somebody could offer throughout the nights and Masaomi wanting something to keep him distracted from his guilty thoughts of Saki. Sure, he could flirt with Kumiko - and, occasionally, he did, - but he flirted with any girl that he came across, anyways.  
  
Standing, the boy ran a hand through his hair and glanced around the room. Since he was currently at her home, he had brought his uniform for school over to change and get ready for school - and, that's what he did. Setting his night clothes in his backpack, he made his way out of the small building and headed to the school (Kumiko was probably already there, he realized.)  
  
Mikado would probably already be at school, too, he realized. Anri as well. The realization made him pick up his pace - if he didn't, he wouldn't get to tease his two dear friends like he usually did, nor would he be able to just relax with them for a few minutes before classes began.  
  
Upon arriving at school, a grin spread across the boy's features as he spotted his friends. "Mikado! Anri!" he called out as he rushed after them, throwing his arms over their shoulders, his hand dangerously close to Anri's breasts - not that it was  _entirely_  his own fault. Who could blame him, though? Sighing dramatically, the boy drooped his head. "Imagine how the day would have gone if I hadn't gotten around to greeting you before school? I'm sure you'd both be dreading the idea of not receiving my attention. If it weren't for how guilty I would feel had that been the case, I wouldn't even be at school."  
  
He easily ignored Mikado's slightly exasperated expression, but he relished in the blush that spread over Anri's features. "Well, it would be a bit boring without you around," Anri admitted before she straightened, forcing Masaomi's arm off her shoulder (prompting him to remove his other arm from Mikado as well) as she looked ahead. "But I'm certain we're not the only reason you decided to show up."  
  
Of course, his dear friends knew that he had been spending more time with Kumiko, but, in his opinion, they read too deeply into it (or, at least, he thought they did.) But, instead of going along with that, he grinned and shrugged. "I can't let all of my adoring fans down, now, can I?"  
  
"What adoring fans?" Mikado asked, slightly amused, though he was merely teasing his friend.  
  
Regardless, Masaomi feigned pain at his words, holding a hand over his heart as he gasped with shock. "How horrible, Mikado! You and I both know that the girls here would be absolutely devastated if I didn't show up!"  
  
His words prompted both Anri and Mikado to laugh and he frowned, as if offended, but soon laughed along. His attention went ahead of them as they entered their classroom and he glanced around for their friend, only to furrow his brows at Kumiko's absence.  
  
 _That's strange_ , he thought, having been certain that she had already left for school. Had they been in any other city, he wouldn't worry too much (or so he told himself) but they were in Ikebukuro, a city filled with color gangs and danger. Not to mention the scheming Izaya - the very thought of the man made Masaomi scowl.  
  
"What's wrong, Masaomi?" Anri asked, blinking as she looked up at the boy.  
  
Though his friends knew that he was spending more time with Kumiko, they most certainly did not know that he occasionally slept at her home. That was their secret and even he intended to keep it that way - whether for her own protection from his enemies or just because he preferred to keep his private life to himself, he wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps it was a mix of both. So, the boy offered a shrug and sighed. "I just assumed Kumiko would be here already. She usually beats all of us here."  
  
It was only then that Anri and Mikado took note of the girl's absence and the two frowned. "Perhaps she's sick?" Masaomi offered as an explanation, unaware that Masaomi knew that wasn't the case.  
  
Regardless, Masaomi sighed and nodded. "Maybe," was all he offered as a response before he moved to take his seat.  
  
\---------  
  
It was cold. That was the first thing she realized when she got off the subway, dark eyes glancing around. As a sigh escaped her lips, her breath illuminated the space in front of her with puffs of disrupted air. She should be in school, Kumiko knew that, but she had something more important to deal with. Stuffing her hands into her coat pockets, she ducked her head as she made her way up the stairs, onto the street.  
  
She needed a day alone, away from the stress of school. A few minutes passed before she arrived at a large, gated house. Her nightmares had prompted the girl to come back here, to her family's home. Her father had sent her away, for her own protection, after her mother's death a year ago. Moving to the intercom, she pressed the button to be let inside.  
  
"Miss Kumiko?" a voice called over the intercom, moments after the camera on the gate moved to get a better look at her. "You shouldn't be here, you know that."  
  
The usually timid girl stared up at the camera with a frown. This place was the only place she ever felt even the tiniest bit confident with herself - and what girl wouldn't with her father's power? "I need to speak with my father. Let me in," she said simply.  
  
"Your father won't be happy."  
  
"I don't care." Moments after the words left her lips, the gates slid open and she was quick to wander inside. As she walked through the doors of the home, she came to stand in front of a well dressed man, whose frown rivaled the disapproving sigh that came from him. "Well? Are you going to take me to my father or not?"  
  
The man nodded slowly before turning. "He's in his study. Come along." The girl didn't need to be told twice as she followed after him, glancing around occasionally. Despite her slightly confident appearance at this point, she was nervously fiddling with the ends of her owl-embroidered scarf. She hadn't been in this large home in what felt like ages and, despite how she had once been so used to it, it now intimidated the small girl.  
  
As they came to a large door, the man knocked on the door before entering Kumiko assumed it was to tell her father that he had a visitor (though she wasn't sure if the man would inform him that the visitor was her.) Within a few moments, the man returned. "You can go in now."  
  
Kumiko wasted no time with hesitating and entered the room without a second thought, earning a look of either disappointment or anger from her father (it was hard to tell the difference after so long away from the man) but that didn't stop her from greeting him as politely as she could manage. "Father, it's been a while."  
  
"It should have been longer, Kumiko," the man muttered as he stood. His hard expression softened, though, as he stared at her. "Are you okay?"  
  
His question prompted her to chew on her lip and she looked down to her feet, shifting her weight on each one every now and then. "I just, ah, had trouble sleeping last night." Her words made the man look at her with concern and he moved to approach her, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
It took the girl a moment before she relented and shook her head, lifting her gaze to him. "Just nightmares. But... I heard noises last night. I assumed it was the information broker and Shizuo fighting again, but I still feel uneasy."  
  
The news didn't bode well with her father, it seemed, because his hold on her shoulder tightened. "Perhaps I should have somebody go along with you to keep you safe."  
  
She cringed at the mention of it and quickly shook her head again. "No, father. The last thing I need is for some creepy Farukon gang member following me around." Her fists clenched almost defiantly, giving her father the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to persuade her otherwise (as much as he would prefer otherwise.)  
  
"You shouldn't be alone there, though. Your mother's death has prompted better security now." Still not good enough for him to allow her to be there, of course, but better all the same. "I would feel more at ease if you had somebody with you, at least."  
  
Clearly, she wasn't agreeing with his thought process. "I can handle myself, father. You taught me how to. Besides, I'm not always alone. I have friends who sometimes sleep over." There was no way she was going to tell him that it was only one friend and that the friend was a male. That would just make him decide that he was right, that he should stick somebody with her - something that she most definitely didn't want to deal with.  
  
"I know you can handle yourself. I'm just worried." Upon closer inspection, she could see that her father seemed to have aged quite a bit. His normally black hair was now graying, he had worry lines creasing his forehead. It almost seemed as if her father were deteriorating and the thought pained her, but she sighed and offered a smile.  
  
"You don't have to worry about me."  
  
The man didn't quite believe her assurance, but he nodded anyways. "You mentioned nightmares?" he inquired with curiosity - though he mostly just didn't want to be separated from his daughter just yet.  
  
After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Yes, I did. They're just more intense versions of mother's death, the gun shot, the blood, how... pale she was." She looked down to her feet again, her hands fiddling with her scarf once more.  
  
"It will get better." His voice didn't sound convincing at all; she assumed that he was probably tortured with the images as well. The realization made her feel terrible. Here she was, wanting to be comforted, but her father was facing the same torment. Chewing on her lip, she nodded.  
  
"I'll go now. I need to get to school, before I get in trouble."  
  
Before she could leave, though, her father pulled her into a tight hug. The hug lasted much longer than she expected, (did he miss her as much as she missed him?) but she relished in the warmth that her father provided, her eyes closing tightly. "Be careful, Kumiko. You know where to find me if you need me."  
  
Nodding, the girl pulled back from her father. "Okay." She wanted to say more, but she didn't. Instead, she turned and left, not wanting to deal with lengthy goodbyes as she tried to remind herself that this would only last a while longer.  
  
She could only hope that was the case, of course. But, all the while, she had to keep her connection to the Farukon to herself. The thought pained her, but it was what she was used to.  
  
\---------  
  
Masaomi wasn't used to worrying this much, not since what happened with Saki. But, here he was, pacing the courtyard as Mikado and Anri sat on the ground, eating and staring up at him.

"Are you still worried about Kumiko, Masaomi?" Anri asked, blinking slowly as she watched her friend. He appeared worried, to her at least, but she doubted that he would openly admit that. He would probably play it off as thinking about potential pick-up lines that he could use on random girls that he would likely meet that day.  
  
But, instead, he didn't reply, which caught Mikado's attention. He wasn't used to his friend being this silent, nor was he used to the boy not answering something important like this. "Masaomi?" he called out quietly, staring at his friend with intent, curious eyes. "I'm sure Kumiko's okay. You don't have to worry so much."  
  
They didn't understand, Masaomi realized. He  _did_  have to worry about Kumiko. He was the last one to see her, as far as he was aware; he was the one she had come to rely on to comfort her. Had he failed in doing that last night, when she had awoken due to that noise? Had she somehow managed to go check on it herself after he had gone back to sleep? Had something terrible happened to her while he had been  _asleep_? Or had she gone out and run into some danger that morning? He groaned with annoyance at the thought, rubbing his face over his hands, his worry failing to cease. All of these consuming concerns were going to drive him insane.  
  
"Maybe I should go look for her," he decided quietly, mostly to himself, but Mikado and Anri heard him.  
  
"We could go with you," Anri offered as she stared up at him, "She's our friend, too."  
  
Admittedly, he was mildly surprised that the others had heard him; he hadn't meant to say his thoughts out loud. Turning to them, he offered them a grin in hopes of easing both theirs and his own worries. "No, I'm sure she's fine." No, he wasn't sure about that. He could only hope that was the case.  
  
Before he could think any further on the matter, though, he spotted familiar long, dark hair and the owl-embroidered scarf that he had come to associate with Kumiko. Relief seemed to fill his features and, before the others can even speak or spot Kumiko themselves, he rushed over to the girl, nearly knocking into her (which would have been embarrassing, he realized; he really should try to calm down.)  
  
Before he could speak, though, Kumiko blinked as she looked up at him and offered a smile. "Oh, hey, Masaomi," she greeted. Seeing how casual she was at that moment made him temporarily forget the girl that was clinging to his shirt the night before, almost made him forget his previous concern for her well-being.  
  
"Hey," he muttered once he recovered, his brows furrowing as he tried to recall why he had rushed over in the first place. When he remembered, though, he stared at the girl with shock. "Where have you been? Are you okay?"  
  
Kumiko's only briefly surprised with his questions, but she still smiled. "I'm fine. I just got a bit side-tracked with something." She could see that he wanted to question over what, but, before he could, Mikado and Anri were there, too.  
  
"Hey, Kumiko," the two greeted, prompting her to greet them back, before Mikado mentioned, "We thought you decided to skip school without us."  
  
That wasn't what Masaomi had thought at all, and he was certain that Kumiko could see that. Regardless, he nodded slightly, deciding to play along. (What else could he do?) "If you would have, you know you wouldn't have enjoyed yourself as much."  
  
"Of course I wouldn't have," Kumiko hummed out with a smile, "But I wasn't skipping. I just had to deal with something, that's all."  
  
As much as Masaomi wanted to question what, he forced himself not to. He decided that he would question her further on the matter later, when they weren't around the others.  
  
\---------  
  
Warm water was falling from the shower head, Kumiko standing under it, her eyes closed and her skin relishing in the warmth provided after the cold day. She stayed in the shower only long enough to wash up and, before long, she got out and dried off. Once she was dressed, she made her way out of the bathroom, her towel in her hands as she dried her hair. She was only mildly surprised to see Masaomi sitting on her bed when she got into the bedroom, the girl blinking as she took in the sight.  
  
His eyes lifted to hers, golden brown and abyssal black meeting for a moment before Kumiko averted her gaze. Under normal circumstances, he would have teasingly asked why she hadn't invited him in the shower, but his mind was still clouded with his concern from earlier.  "Where were you today, really?" the boy asked finally, a frown on his features as he stood and made his way to the girl. He noticed how she tensed at the question, how she took a step away from him, how she refused to meet his gaze - all actions that he wasn't used to seeing from her. It only heightened his concern.  
  
"I told you. I had something to handle," she offered the same explanation with different words all over again. It was becoming frustrating; she was hiding things from him and he wasn't used to that. What could she possibly hide from him? Why would she feel the need to hide anything?  
  
Sighing, the blond ran a hand through his hair and stared at her for a long moment. "I know you better than that, Kumiko. I don't understand why you're hiding things from me." Weren't they close? They trusted each other enough to sleep in the same bed, after all; did she not trust him enough to tell him what was going on?  
  
"It's just a long story."  
  
"Then, tell me." His voice was almost pleading, she realized, the realization causing her to lift her gaze to him. She knew she couldn't tell him everything, but she could at least abate his concern, couldn't she?  
  
Relenting, she sighed and moved to sit on her bed as she returned to drying her hair. "I went to see my father."  
  
The news seemed to catch the boy off-guard. He wasn't even aware that she bothered to keep contact with her father (he knew her mother was dead, but he didn't know how she died and felt too awkward to ask.) "Why?"  
  
The girl lifted her shoulders in a half-hearted attempt to avoid the question. Seeing that he wasn't going to give up on the topic, though, she chewed on her lip. "I just wanted to talk to him. It's been a while since I last saw him and I figured he might be worried with me living on my own, so I figured I should ease his worries." At least it wasn't entirely a lie. Just a half-truth. It eased her guilt of hiding everything a bit, at least.  
  
Masaomi seemed satisfied with her words and he nodded as he moved to sit down next to her. "Why wouldn't you tell me earlier?"  
  
His question earned a smile from her. "I just didn't think it was too important. I mean, it's not like I went on some adventure or something. Besides, I'm fine, so... So, don't worry too much, alright?"  
  
He almost thought about denying the very idea of having been worried, but he knew better than to do that. Not only would it be unfair to her, to tell her that he hadn't worried about her at all, to pretend that he didn't care at all, but he didn't want to lie to her, not after practically pleading with her to tell him the truth. So, instead, he nodded and lifted a hand to ruffle her hair gently. "Alright," he offered as an agreement before he sighed and yawned. "Let's get some sleep, then."  
  
The girl smiled in response and nodded in return. Masaomi went to the bathroom to take a shower of his own to change into clean clothes and wasn't too surprised when he came out to find Kumiko already curled up on her bed, asleep. He almost smiled at the sight, but reminded himself that this was a completely platonic arrangement, that he was only there to provide comfort and she was only there to provide a distraction. Still, when he climbed into bed, despite knowing that he didn't really have to, he wrapped his arm around her and drew her closer to himself. Her hair was still slightly damp, but he figured she must have been too tired to finish drying it. Whatever the case, he pulled the blanket over them to keep them (her) warm before returning his arm to its position around her and drifting off to sleep as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Farukon = Falcon. As far as I'm aware, it's just a gang that I created; if there's really a gang called that, I hope I don't get chased down and killed.  
> I'm not extremely pleased with this, but I did have fun writing it so far~ Hopefully, I'll come to like it more as I progress with writing it.


End file.
